Entertainment

"Food & Wine" Magazine Serves Up Holiday Treats for the iPad

We've been bombarded with a fair number of pitches for holiday-themed iPhone and iPad applications as of late (some of which we've profiled in a recent roundup of recipe apps for the iPad), but there's one in particular we'd like to draw your attention to: Food & Wine's holiday issue for the iPad.

The issue is packed with gorgeously photographed edible goods (many included in the screenshots below), with recipes and, on two occasions, how-to videos to match. Like the recently released O: The Oprah Magazine iPad app, the issue also includes a full gift guide with in-app purchase options. For our readers who prefer to give homemade gifts, the magazine includes plenty of inspiration for those as well.

This is Food & Wine's second issue for the device and, like the first issue, it's available free within the application [iTunes link]. Those who have downloaded sister publication Travel + Leisure will notice some resemblance in terms of style and navigation, but the holiday issue improves on both in several ways.

Most critically, the app now allows users to share content via Facebook, Twitter and e-mail. Unfortunately, the text isn't selectable, so readers won't be able to share favorite quotes or send recipes to friends; rather, they'll be able to send links to the web versions of each story, recipe or other piece of content.

The app's designers have also improved the format by allowing readers to tap to pull up recipes in the same window rather than having readers scroll down on different pages to view them.

One thing I'd like to see is an in-app timer so I could leave the app open while cooking. Other recipes apps, such as Epicurious's [iTunes link], also allow users to automatically add ingredients to a shopping list and bookmark recipes, both of which would be welcome additions. But given that the app is free and already offers so much, it hardly seems fair to complain.

Tell us: What apps will you be using most this holiday season?

Screenshot Gallery

Food & Wine

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